Author Archives: tyduffy

With their typical class, Chelsea players and staff asserted their belief, following their 1-1 agg defeat to Barcelona, that UEFA conspired against them to prevent an all-English final in the Champions League. Players, such as Didier Drogba, displayed their sentiment … Continue reading →

Those who would purify English football believe the current debauchery and debt stems from foreign ownership. That is not necessarily true. American billionaire Stan Kroenke bought out the Carr family shares in Arsenal for about £45m, increasing his stake in … Continue reading →

Major League Soccer has announced Everton as the opponent for this year’s MLS All-Star game. “We are very excited about Everton FC agreeing to be the opponent for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a … Continue reading →

Premier League footballers make extraordinary salaries. The common implication from this is that they make too much money. Players are the scapegoat for the endemic money culture that has invaded football. It’s held as common sense that salary caps and … Continue reading →

This just in – Premier League clubs are big money businesses. Forbes released their list of most valuable soccer teams. Here are some of the more interesting findings for the Premier League. Three Premier League clubs – Manchester United, Arsenal and … Continue reading →

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has the “it” quality as a manager. Not “it” in the genius sense like Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson. Southgate has it in the Raymond Domenech sense where he could strip naked, smear himself with … Continue reading →

Newcastle has been in a rudderless malaise for most of the season. Kevin Keegan resigned and nearly every potential replacement rejected the offer. The club pulled backdated Joe Kinnear out of retirement, gave him the full time job and then … Continue reading →

Buoyed by Mark Hughes’ overachievement and shrewd signings, Blackburn had been living in a fantasyland of consistent contention for Europe. Paul Ince transported them rudely back to small city reality. Blackburn took an admirable risk, hiring the Premier League’s first … Continue reading →

Stoke City are a newly promoted side from the Championship, and they certainly play like one. The operating procedure has been physicality, holding the line at home and hoping for some magic from Rory Delap’s wicked throw-ins. It has worked … Continue reading →

Until late October, Portsmouth seemed destined for a mid-table season. After a rough August start against Chelsea and Man United, the trophy-winning club won four out of seven matches, looking frisky once again. Then Harry Redknapp left for the Tottenham … Continue reading →

Sunderland rose to the Premier League two seasons ago with Roy Keane’s magnetism, and it was the same presence that kept them afloat last season. The reform movement lost steam when Keane left, and Sunderland have been rudderless since Ricky … Continue reading →

This is the second in a series of relegation assessments. For a similar look at Bolton Wanderers. Check here. Hull City surprised everyone at the start of the season, winning six of their first nine, knocking off an over-confident Arsenal. … Continue reading →

With Aston Villa’s demise the top of the league once again appears calcified, so, like Kim Kardashian crammed into a designer dress, the bulk of the tension will be at the bottom. Here is the first of a series of … Continue reading →

Following Liverpool’s 4-0 dismantling of Real Madrid at Anfield last midweek, France legend Zinedine Zidane described Steven Gerrard as “the best player in the world.” “Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Messi … Continue reading →

Forgiving the Gaffer’s scheduling criticisms, ESPN mostly has been wonderful for soccer promotion in the U.S.. Top goals are making the top-ten plays. Sportscenter features highlight reels. Yesterday’s Real Madrid-Liverpool match, though it was not the greatest testament, featured on … Continue reading →

Arsenal broke their four match scoreless streak on Tuesday, beating West Brom 3-1. Arsene Wenger commented afterward that he never lost faith in his squad. Wenger said: “You are quickly questioned, when you don’t score. “There was no open discussion … Continue reading →

It would be a sane Premier League week if there wasn’t an outlandish Manchester City rumor, but where is the fun in that? This week’s circulation is a doozy. Manchester City reportedly are including Robinho in a cash plus player … Continue reading →